With the passing of the unfortunate gay marriage ban Proposition 8 in California, the Sean Penn starring “Milk”‘ just may be gotten a major boost with its Oscar chances. The blow to the liberal base in California will do nothing but have them viewing Gus Van Sant’s biopic about gay 1970’s gay activist Harvey Milk as a comment on the events that just occurred and will give the film a new air of relevancy.
As Variety’s Anne Thompson says about the Academy reacting to the vote, “The fact that California did not defeat the ban could energize the largely liberal Academy base.” We have to agree, as “Milk” is suddenly a current events film, not just a biopic of man who died over 30 years ago.
In Contention’s Kris Tapley even goes so far as to ask if an October release would have changed the outcome of the vote. “Some of the film’s most inspiring and, indeed, captivating moments come during the sequence that details the Prop 6 fight. Consistently, Harvey Milk (Sean Penn’s career-best portrayal) makes the point, to paraphrase, ‘We have to make them understand that they know us.’ That message, I think, might have carried a lot of heft if voters had made it to the polls four weeks later.”
Given these unfortunate events David Poland thinks Focus Features should, ahem, milk it for all its worth. “I do not agree that Focus should have somehow given up control of their interest in this film to the idea of using it as a political weapon in this election cycle. But I do feel that we are now on the other side of the looking glass and that it would be the best idea, both commercially and aesthetically, to connect the story of Harvey Milk to the story of California today.”
Will the passing of Prop 8 help “Milk” score Oscar votes? We can’t help but think the recent show of intolerance by the California public will propel the film onto every Academy voters mind. “Milk” is due out on a wide release December 5th.